Lok Sabha to discuss Telangana bill Tuesday

The bill for creating a Telangana state will be taken up for discussion in the Lok Sabha Tuesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said.

"The Telangana bill will come up for discussion in the Lok Sabha Feb 18," Kamal Nath told reporters in the Parliament House complex Monday.

"Those who want to oppose can do so in a parliamentary manner," he added.

The minister said Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to speak on the issue Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Congress has issued a three-line whip to its members to be present in the house on all days of the week.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha last Thursday amid ruckus and violent protests, which saw a member opposed to the proposed Telangana state (Lagadapati Rajagopal) using pepper spray, leaving several MPs, Speaker Meira Kumar and dozens of journalists choking and coughing.

Several opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Trinamool Congress, the Biju Janata Dal, the Left and the Samajwadi Party, which extends outside support to the government, told the speaker that the bill was not formally introduced in the house and should be introduced again.